Big Smoke
American |family = Unnamed mother Unnamed father Unnamed aunt Unnamed cousin |affiliations = Ballas Grove Street Families (formerly) C.R.A.S.H. Frank Tenpenny Sweet Johnson (formerly) Carl Johnson (formerly) Ryder OG Loc Big Bear (formerly) B Dup Los Santos Vagos Russian Mafia San Fierro Rifa Loco Syndicate |vehicles = Black Perennial (destroyed) Blue Glendale |weapons = Baseball Bat Pistol Tec-9 Micro SMG AK-47 Combat Shotgun |businesses = Drug Dealing |voice = Clifton Powell }} Melvin Harris, better known as Big Smoke, is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as a main character and the secondary antagonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Biography Big Smoke was a high-ranking member of the Grove Street Families who later defected to the Ballas, and made clandestine deals with the Los Santos Vagos and Russian Mafia, eventually becoming the most powerful crook in the criminal underworld of Los Santos. Big Smoke makes multiple references to his desire to be remembered after his death. Big Smoke appears to speak some Spanish, as seen in the mission Running Dog. He tries to get weed from some Vagos members and after being cursed at, he threatens one of the Vagos members who then responds with "Chinga a tu madre, pendejo" which roughly translates into "Fuck your mother, dickhead". His favorite radio station is Bounce FM. Background Early life Big Smoke was born in Los Santos, likely in Ganton due to his close relationship with Sweet and Carl Johnson, and he later joined the Grove Street Families. He rose through the ranks of the gang until he became Sweet's right-hand man, Carl's departure in 1987 following his brother's death helped Smoke and Sweet develop a closer relationship. Big Smoke quotes from the Bible on many occasions, hinting that he may be religious, though Carl claims he's "still talking shit." Joining the Ballas Big Smoke, sometime after Carl's departure, moved to Idlewood after buying a house with some money he claims his aunt left him in her will. The Grove Street Families, however, began to lose influence and status among the city gangs, noticing that the Ballas, who control Idlewood, were selling drugs to fuel their rising influence. He then tries to persuade Sweet to allow the Grove Street Families to sell more potent drugs (since the Families already sell marijuana and PCP), although Sweet refuses because he believes crack cocaine has a destructive influence on the communities that they're sold in. At some point, Big Smoke forms a clandestine alliance with the Ballas and begins to cooperate with them. Smoke later includes the Los Santos Vagos and the Russian Mafia, who were hoping to get a foothold in Los Santos, into his new alliance. They also form an alliance with the Loco Syndicate who began supplying them with various drugs from their base in San Fierro, although he doesn't realise that an undercover government agent is monitoring in the operation. Events of GTA San Andreas Carl's Return In 1992, after failing to convince Sweet, he goes to Ryder and convinces him to join forces with the Ballas, who later attempt to kill Sweet but fail, instead killing his mother. The death of Beverly Johnson leads to her son, Carl, returning from Liberty City, and Carl meets Smoke inside his childhood house. Smoke initially mistook Carl for a burglar, but immediately accepts the return of his old friend, contrary to Sweet, who remains initially hostile. It is not until later in the game that his true intentions with the Ballas-C.R.A.S.H. unit are revealed, but on several occasions prior to his exposure as a traitor, many subtle hints appear foreshadowing it. Smoke appears alongside Carl, Sweet, and Ryder in the first mission in the game, and also later appears at the funeral of several GSF members. However, during the mission, the attackers will only attack Carl and Sweet, avoiding Smoke and Ryder. He also appears playing basketball with Sweet in Tagging up Turf, and also briefly appears in Cleaning the Hood at Sweet's house. In the mission Drive-Thru, Sweet, Carl, Smoke and Ryder decide to eat at Cluckin' Bell; however, they are attacked by Ballas whilst dining. Smoke's refusal to shoot at the Ballas (claiming that he would only shoot when he was done eating) was another hint to his betrayal. After appearing in the introductory scene of Nines and AKs, Smoke later helped the gang in the mission Drive-By. After this, Smoke gives his own missions to Carl; the first is to collect an old friend (OG Loc) from Pershing Square police station as he has been paroled from prison. The next is to help Smoke eliminate a Vagos member. In the mission Wrong Side of the Tracks, before Smoke and Carl work to kill more Vagos, Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski are seen leaving Smoke's house; however, Smoke's comment that they are simply "nosey" hints that he is not-so-hostile towards them. Carl would then later assist Smoke in taking down Russian Mafia members in the mission Just Business, and Smoke would later assist Carl, Ryder and Sweet in the mission Reuniting the Families. Betrayal The mission The Green Sabre is ultimately the turning point in both the game and in Big Smoke and Ryder's characters; Sweet explains to Carl that they are going to go take down a large amount of Ballas and to meet at the Mulholland Intersection. However, as soon as Carl leaves, Cesar Vialpando calls him and tells him to meet him in Verdant Bluffs immediately. Carl meets Cesar and from an alleyway they witness Smoke, Ryder, Tenpenny and Pulaski meeting with some Ballas at a garage containing the green Sabre used in the drive-by that killed Beverly Johnson. At this moment, Carl realizes Sweet and the rest of the Families members have been set up. Carl races to the Mulholland intersection to find Sweet heavily injured, but still alive. Carl kills the Ballas members before the police arrive. Sweet is taken to a prison hospital upstate while Carl is taken to Angel Pine in Whetstone by C.R.A.S.H. Rise to power In the absence of both Sweet and Carl, Smoke and Ryder disband the Grove Street Families, leaving Ganton and all other Grove Street territory in the hands of the Ballas. A few Grove Street Families members, meanwhile, begin working as drugs smugglers, taking them from the Loco Syndicate factory in Doherty, San Fierro back to Los Santos. Cesar Vialpando, discovers this and alerts Carl Johnson, who stops a number of the suppliers from reaching Los Santos in order to disrupt the flow of drugs into the city. Carl and Cesar later photograph Ryder with three men, later identified as Jizzy B., T-Bone Mendez and Mike Toreno. Carl, upon returning to his garage in San Fierro has Wu Zi Mu and his Triad allies discover more about the trio. Carl then begins to work for Jizzy B, attempting to gather more information on the operation, and later gains his trust. Carl, however, later kills Jizzy, San Fierro Rifa leader T-Bone Mendez and undercover agent Mike Toreno (or so he thought) as well as Ryder, before destroying their drug manufacturing factory, stopping the supply back to Los Santos. Smoke, however, is undeterred and instead starts his manufacturing plant in East Los Santos. He also begins working as the manager of OG Loc, an aspiring rapper and childhood friend of both Smoke and Carl, who aided him by sabotaging the career of rap superstar Madd Dogg. He also attempts to style himself as a philanthropist when he is interviewed on West Coast Talk Radio (which can be heard on the radio anytime after the mission Pier 69) saying that he is using his money to try and stop the sale of drugs in Los Santos, despite being the major drug baron of the city. Big Smoke, like Ryder, continues to wear green clothing after his betrayal of the Grove Street Families becomes common knowledge. This is because Big Smoke and Ryder only have one coded outfit. Death In the meantime, Carl is reunited with Toreno, who used a decoy on his scheduled departing flight, and begins working for him attacking those harming American interests. In return, Toreno has Sweet released from prison and the Johnson brothers return home, reclaiming Ganton for the Grove Street Families, who once again ally themselves with the formerly absent leaders. By this time, Smoke had become increasingly paranoid and reclusive, secluding himself in his drug manufacturing plant, away from the massive riots engulfing the streets of Los Santos. Sweet and Carl continue their attack on the Ballas, retaking both Glen Park (in Beat Down on B Dup) and Idlewood (in Grove 4 Life). confronting Big Smoke in his drug manufacturing factory, shortly before a shootout and Smoke's death, during End of the Line.]] The Johnsons then decide to take down Big Smoke and his operation, using a SWAT Tank to break into his drug manufacturing plant. Carl then proceeds to shoot his way past the many Ballas, Los Santos Vagos, Russian Mafia and San Fierro Rifa goons in the factory to reach the top floor, where he finds Big Smoke. The two get involved in a gunfight, which is won by Carl, who manages to talk to Smoke about his betrayal before his death. Smoke, showing remorse for his actions, tells Carl that he got caught up in the money and power he was able to obtain. He reminds Carl that when he is dead, people will remember his name before dying from his injuries inflicted by Carl. Carl shows remorse for Smoke but is interrupted by Tenpenny, whom he later chases, before crashing a fire truck off a bridge into Grove Street and dies. Vehicle *Big Smoke drives a blue Glendale with a white roof, which has the license plate A2TMFK. Opinions on the meaning of this are varied: Some believe it to be an acronym for "a two-timing motherfucker", a reference to his betrayal of the Grove Street Families. Some believe it to be an acronym for "a two-ton motherfucker", a reference to his weight, and some believe it to be a reference to the Cypress Hill song "A to the motherfucking K", which was released in 1993 (one year after the events of GTA San Andreas). *Big Smoke previously drove a black Perennial, until it was destroyed by the Ballas in a drive-by shooting. Development The beta version of Big Smoke is shown wearing a white Los Santos Saints jersey and black trousers, with Smoke having a bald head, which can be seen on the statue of Smoke in the drug manufacturing factory in East Los Santos. Or on the back of the PS2 case (Top, Middle) and also Sweet, and Ryder without his hat and his sunglasses.Official Playstation 2 Magazine AU July 2004 Mission Appearances ;GTA San Andreas *The Introduction *Big Smoke *Sweet & Kendl *Tagging Up Turf *Cleaning the Hood *Drive-Thru *Nines and AKs *Drive-By *OG Loc (boss) *Running Dog (boss) *Wrong Side of the Tracks (boss) *Just Business (boss) *Reuniting the Families *The Green Sabre (betrayal) *End of the Line (killed) Quotes *''"You picked the wrong house, fool!"'' - Big Smoke mistaking Carl for a burglar in Big Smoke. *''"The streets is cold, Dog. Like it says in the book, we are blessed and cursed."'' - Big Smoke to Carl in Big Smoke. *''"I'll have two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda."'' - Big Smoke when ordering meals in Drive-Thru, one of the other most memorable lines in the entire GTA series. *''"I can't stand cold food. Unlike you, I ain't never ate from a trash can."'' - Big Smoke to others in Drive-Thru. *''"Hey, kill that asshole! Shit, this is a great sandwich!"'' - Big Smoke to others as he continues eating in Drive-Thru. *''"Man, if you can eat your food, while everyone else is losing theirs and blaming you, you straight, homie!"'' - Big Smoke on the way back to his house in Drive-Thru. *''"I admire you, Carl. You're a leader, a visionary. Remember me when you get to the top."'' - Big Smoke to Carl on their way to Emmet's in Nines and AKs. *''"Cap your ass! And your ass! You want some too? Ice cold, baby! I knew I was the chosen one!"'' - Big Smoke when shooting at beer bottles in Nines and AKs. *''"Damn, you a killer baby, ice cold! But remember something, real strength comes from within, my brother."'' - Big Smoke to Carl Johnson after shooting practice in Nines and AKs.. *''"People have to open their eyes, and their hearts, CJ... I'm talking about the choices all men face, brother. Sometimes, they seem real, but other times there's no choice at all."'' - Big Smoke to Carl on their way back in Nines and AKs. *''"Everybody is my cousin!"'' - Big Smoke to Carl Johnson in Running Dog. *''"Coughio up el weedo, before I blow your brains out all over the patio!"'' - Big Smoke to other Vagos members in Running Dog. *''"The wise sheep does what he says, and only eats the greenest grass, while the foolish sheep gets eaten alive by the heathens."'' - Big Smoke to Carl Johnson on their way to Unity Station in Wrong Side of the Tracks. The line was omitted from the final game. *''"All we had to do, was follow the damn train, CJ!"'' - Big Smoke to Carl Johnson if Wrong Side of the Tracks is failed, perhaps one of the most memorable lines throughout the entire GTA series. *''"Yo, eh eh, don't ask a wise man, friend. Ask a fool."'' - Big Smoke to Carl Johnson after killing the Vagos members in Wrong Side of the Tracks. *''"Shit! That's gonna be a hell of a story to tell when we passin' the blunt!"'' - Big Smoke to others after their narrow escape in Reuniting the Families. *''"Man fuck Tenpenny and fuck his Polish lap dog, and fuck the police, man. All that's old shit. Look at you, you got the whole world. I ain't got no regrets, man. I made it, CJ! I'm a success. I can't be touched! I don't give a fuck, fuck the whole world."'' - Big Smoke to Carl Johnson in End of the Line, before getting involved in a shootout with him. *''"I got caught up in the money, the power... I don't give a shit. Oh fuck, man... I had no choice... I had to do it... I just see the opportunity. When I'm gone, everyone gonna remember my name... Big Smoke!"'' - Big Smoke to Carl in End of the Line after the shootout, before drawing his last breath. Gallery Artworks BigSmoke-Artwork.jpg|Artwork of Big Smoke. BigSmoke-Artwork2.jpg|Alternative artwork of Big Smoke depicting an unused model. 245287-1900_gtasa guntable.jpg|Artwork of Big Smoke, Sweet and Ryder. GSFVSBALLAS.jpg|Artwork of Big Smoke (in his beta clothing), Ryder and Sweet doing a drive by shooting. GSF with Ballas.png|Artwork of Big Smoke (in his beta clothing), Ryder and Sweet doing a drive by shooting against the Ballas. In-game BigSmoke-GTASA2.jpg|The beta version of Smoke. Big_smoke_statue.jpg|The statued beta version of Smoke. Big Smoke.jpg|Closer view of Smoke's statue. BigSmokeHouse-GTASA-Exterior.jpg|Big Smoke's House. Trivia *Sometimes, after Carl receives a haircut from Old Reece at Reece's Hair & Facial Studio, Reece can sometimes be heard asking Carl to "tell Big Smoke he needs a cut", despite the ironic fact that Smoke is bald; hence the reason he hasn't came for one. However, during the second mission "Ryder", it is implied by Ryder that Old Reece has Alzheimer's disease. *Big Smoke is shown to have two large bullet holes in his armour following the shootout during End of the Line, regardless of how he is killed. *During his discussion of building an orphanage on WCTR, he mentions that he is an orphan himself. References Navigation ar:بيغ سموك de:Big Smoke ru:Мелвин Харрис es:Big Smoke fi:Big Smoke fr:Big Smoke (homonymie) it:Big Smoke nl:Big Smoke pl:Melvin Harris pt:Big Smoke Harris, Melvin Harris, Melvin Harris, Melvin Harris, Melvin Category:Antagonists Harris, Melvin